Atomic-scale 3D imaging of individual dopant atoms in an oxide semiconductor

K. A. Hunnestad, C. Hatzoglou, Z. M. Khalid, P. E. Vullum, Z. Yan, E. Bourret, A. T. J. Helvoort, S. M. Selbach and D. Meier ()
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K. A. Hunnestad: NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology
C. Hatzoglou: NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Z. M. Khalid: NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology
P. E. Vullum: NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Z. Yan: ETH Zurich
E. Bourret: Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
A. T. J. Helvoort: NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology
S. M. Selbach: NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology
D. Meier: NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The physical properties of semiconductors are controlled by chemical doping. In oxide semiconductors, small variations in the density of dopant atoms can completely change the local electric and magnetic responses caused by their strongly correlated electrons. In lightly doped systems, however, such variations are difficult to determine as quantitative 3D imaging of individual dopant atoms is a major challenge. We apply atom probe tomography to resolve the atomic sites that donors occupy in the small band gap semiconductor Er(Mn,Ti)O3 with a nominal Ti concentration of 0.04 at. %, map their 3D lattice positions, and quantify spatial variations. Our work enables atomic-level 3D studies of structure-property relations in lightly doped complex oxides, which is crucial to understand and control emergent dopant-driven quantum phenomena.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32189-0

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